Have an A-level Engagement Model? Think Again.

In the previous post of our Think Again Series we covered the importance of data and analytics maturity. Here we’ll be talking about how well your consumer engagement strategy should be designed.

As I mentioned in one of our previous blogs, engaging with your customers at real time is more than just sending them a thank you message after shopping. Today with the proliferation of channels, and maturity in technology, brands like yours need to go a notch higher with their engagement plans.

This means, redefining the word “personalization” to be more than just using first names. It means re-looking at your channel mix to use multiple channels together, instead of just one that you believe your customers prefer. And most importantly, it means re-examining your communication strategy to ensure it gives maximum returns from each message you send out.

And here’s how you can do that. In the spirit of us explaining what standards you should be aiming for when it comes to different aspects of your CRM program, here are 3 areas to check for when it comes it achieving nirvana in real-time customer engagement.

Channels of Engagement

No it isn’t enough that you can successfully send out SMSs and email to customers depending on their affinity to the channel. Studies show that more than 70% customers use 3 or more channels before they make a purchase. That means interacting with them simultaneously in at least 3 channels that you know they use, with the same message.

In order to have a successful CRM program in place, your brand should be where the customer is. Having a centralized campaign manager tool that allows to plan, design, execute, and track communication across all channels is the perfect solution for today’s digital age.

If you haven’t gotten one yet, invest in one – PRONTO!

Offer Effectiveness

If you are still stuck with the age old practice of sending offers and promos to all females for all female products, and all males for all male products, then you need to come out of Stone Age and embrace the 21^st century – big time!

Offers need to targeted and personalized at various levels. Demographics is just one of them. Looking at the customer’s past purchase behavior tells you a lot about the kind of products they prefer. And many a times the user is not the buyer. Hence your generic offer to all males, may just be a big waste of campaign spend.

With competition graver than ever before, you need to get creative with your offers. Time them in such a way that you can reward the customers for every positive action they take, like purchase a slow moving product, referring customers, buying above your normal basket value, and so on. Get platforms in place that gives you the flexibility to reward your customers the way you want, and when you want. Anything below that, will lead your CRM strategy to reek of stale offers.

Personalized Communication

Yes, it all boils down to this. If you are able to send each customer a personalized offer, on the channels he/she actively uses with a message that is relevant to previous interactions the customer has made with your brand, then bravo – you have arrived at CRM paradise. Take a drink and chill!

If not, then you need to step on the gear and get some processes in place. With the advent of AI, you can now easily set up platforms that can predict the customers’ preferences in advance and tell you who should be targeted in what way (what messages, offers, channels etc). Up until now, this was usually done on a group level. But with AI, you can dive deeper and personalize your engagement in the true sense – at an individual level.

With these three checks in your engagement strategy, you can be sure that you are on the track to provide the best experience to your customers, thus garnering more loyalty.

While you’re at it, do read the last part of the Think Again Series, “CRM Success is not Linked to Technology Adoption? Think Again!” and let us know how you have been doing things differently to Ace your CRM Strategy.

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Marketing Manager, SEA at Capillary Technologies, Azmeen handles lead generation, content marketing and PR for the entire SEA region. She has also had extensive experience in helping brands such as Tunglok Group, Pizza Hut and KFC get consumer ready by implementing tech forward consumer experience and consumer relationship initiatives.